


Sacrifice

by Bunnywith



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, Sadstuck, zombie apocalypse AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-11
Updated: 2013-08-11
Packaged: 2017-12-23 03:05:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/921259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bunnywith/pseuds/Bunnywith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for a prompt. "equius sacrifices his life for aradia in some way when she hated him before and then when she finds out what he did for her long story short it is painful and full of tears"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sacrifice

“Just so we’re clear, I do _not_ owe you anything. I don’t care how many zombies you’ve protected me from; don’t try to twist this around to get me to give you another chance or anything. Once we’re in a safe zone, I want nothing to do with you.”

Equius tried to show no reaction, but Aradia’s words felt like a knife to the heart. It had never been his intent to do anything so deceitful. They were broken up, and though he wanted her back, more than anything else, he wanted her to be happy. But she wasn’t happy with him. When the infection had first broken out and sent his best friend growling and spitting blood in his direction, his one and only thought had been to protect Aradia. He’d never asked for her thanks, but it seemed that she still believed he had ulterior motives.

He had no idea what he had done so wrong, how he’d fucked things up so bad, but it didn’t matter now. None of it mattered. His only priority was ensuring her safety. He reassembled his gun, running his fingers over the casing and trying not to feel like he’d been punched in the gut, but he did. Their breakup was one thing. He didn’t like it, but he could handle it. They weren’t compatible romantically, he knew that. They were too careless with one another. Too demanding, too possessive, too this, too that. They just didn’t work. If her happiness meant seeing her in another man’s arms, then so be it. He would be happy for her, hope for an invitation to their wedding, and cry tears of joy at their perfect union, or otherwise destroy him if he hurt her. But she wanted nothing to do with him.

…If that was what it took to make her happy… Then so be it.

“I understand.” He whispered, his voice soft, tears barely contained. A helicopter was coming to pick them up; this was the last time he would ever see her before they landed in a safe zone. Then she would go her own way and he would never see her again. The thought tightened around his heart, squeezing it up into his throat, which ached with suppressed tears.

In the distance, the buffering of helicopter blades neared, the sound attracting a horde of undead that could smell living flesh.

“Oh shit!” Aradia cried, seeing them lurching over. Equius stood before her, gun at the ready. He took aim, picking them off one by one, the gunfire attracting more and more. Their refuge was high up in an abandoned building, but it seemed that not even the fires that had ravaged the city had taken out everyone left in the building. Behind him, Equius heard the scraping of shoes, the groan of the living dead. He turned, keeping Aradia to his back to protect her. He shot the walking corpse through its skull, but in doing so brought forth more who were lured by the sound of the gun.

“We’re here! We’re here!!” Aradia waved her arms to the helicopter pilot, panicked and terrified that they were going to die when salvation was so close. On the ground the zombies were piling into the building, finding their way up while those already inside were closing in faster than Equius could pick them off. He pointed his gun at one only to hear a gut wrenching click when he pulled the trigger. Empty. Equius felt through his pockets for more ammunition but found none. He looked in front of him. They were getting closer. He looked above. The helicopter pilot couldn’t get in close enough for them to reach the ladder he’d thrown down; the blades would hit the building.

“Get on my shoulders!” He yelled to Aradia, kneeling down.

“What-”

“Get on!” He yelled again, and this time she complied, climbing on and holding tight as he stood up to his full height, boosting her enough to grab the ladder. She climbed up the ladder, trying to reach out to grab Equius’ hand. He reached for her, grabbing tight as a zombie closed in, biting into his shoulder.

“No!” Aradia cried, watching the creature tear a chunk of flesh from Equius. He gasped, mostly from the surprise. He looked up to her, her hand still clasping his tightly, and he smiled.

“Be happy. Please.” That was all he’d ever wanted for her; nothing more than for her to be happy. And now she would have that chance. She was safe; she could fly away to the safe zone and find someone who would love her and treat her like a queen. “Be happy.”

Equius kissed the back of her hand and released her as the remainder of the undead began to tear pieces from him, Aradia reaching toward him and screaming, tears streaming down her face as the helicopter carried her away.

 

Aradia awoke with a start, her eyes wide and hands trembling, fear stabbing into her heart. She looked around. Everything was normal. Nothing was broken, ransacked, ravaged, burned, or anything. The furniture was the same as it had always been, the walls were clean, the windows weren’t shattered. Everything was fine.

Except…

Where was he?

“Equius?” She got up from her seat, walking at first, then tearing through the house as the unreal possibility that he was dead started to terrify her.

“Equius!”

“Aradia? What’s wrong?” He emerged from his study, mechanical oil smeared on his forehead, a look of concern written on his face. Aradia looked at him, tears coming to her eyes as she was washed over with relief. He was fine. He was alive! She ran into him, hugging him around his waist with her ear pressed to his chest, listening to his heart beating and his lungs breathing. She felt his warm arms around her, the tightness of his embrace more comforting than it had ever been before.

“What happened?”

“I had the worst nightmare-” She realized she was crying, and her fear of her dream and her joy that he was alive bringing her emotions out in a tide of tears. Soon Aradia was sobbing, crying half-formed sentences into his shirt while he rocked her from side to side, stroking her hair and peppering her head with kisses.

“It was the apocalypse and there were zombies and we survived but I was going to leave you after we were saved and then the helicopter came and the noise attracted zombies outside and inside the building and you were shooting them but the helicopter couldn’t come in close enough because of the blades and you ran out of bullets so you boosted me onto your shoulders to help me get to the ladder and I got on but a zombie bit you and…” Her tears welled up again, recalling her own agonized screams as the helicopter flew her away. She looked up at him, eyes puffy and wet as she tried to find the strength to finish speaking. “…And you just smiled and told me to be happy. Then you let go.”

She started whimpering softly as her tears wound down, falling against him and holding him as close as she could.

“…I would do that, you know.” He spoke softly, looking down at her. “If I had to sacrifice myself to save you, I wouldn’t even hesitate.”

“No! You’re not allowed to!” She bopped his chest, pouting with her bottom lip trembling. He laughed and kissed her lips softly, pressing their foreheads together. “I order you to not sacrifice yourself to save me during the zombie apocalypse!”

“Then thank goodness there is no such thing as the zombie apocalypse, because that is one order I cannot follow. I would sacrifice myself a thousand times over in order to save you, and wish you happiness every single time.”


End file.
